ATO Staff spokesperson: 33 episodes of militants’ violating armistice recorded yesterday. A firefight took place near Zaitseve

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Kyiv, December 29, 2015. Pro-Russian hybrid armed groups continue violating armistice. A total of 33 episodes of militants’ violating armistice were recorded yesterday. They shot at Ukrainian positions around five times, mostly using light arms, said Major Anton Myronovych, ATO spokesperson, via Skype at Ukraine Media Crisis Center. Militants continue systematically shelling Ukrainian positions on the outskirts of Donetsk airport, in the vicinity of Pisky and Opytne using small arms, grenade launchers and large machine guns. “Moreover, militants shot at Pisky yesterday using 82-mm mortar launcher,” said Major Myronovych.

Militants chaotically and randomly fired at positions north of Horlivka, on the fringes of Shuma, Kodema and Mayorsk using small arms. “Late at night militants attacked our defenders with precision fire from grenade launchers and large machine guns. A terrorists’ sniper was also trying to hit the target. Another episode of precision fire at ATO forces positions using grenade launchers was recorded near Chermalyk in the Mariupol sector.

Major Myronovych said that a pro-Russian subversive reconnaissance group consisting of not more than 15 militants made an attempt to capture a Ukrainian subdivision near Zaitseve. A firefight took place and militants retreated. “Moreover, a pro-Russian militant group was observed yesterday in the vicinity of Zaitseve, north of temporarily occupied Horlivka. The insurgents wore camouflage uniforms resembling field uniform of Ukrainian Armed Forces and were randomly shooting from small arms, in particular at objects of residential infrastructure,” said the spokesperson.

In total, militants instigated 134 armed provocations against ATO forces in the past three days. Moreover, two firefights were recorded. “There were 66 episodes on Saturday, 35 on Sunday and 33 yesterday. More than five incidents of militants’ ceasefire violation have been recorded today,” said Major Myronovych.